The phrase “vaginal designer” makes personal health procedures seem like an exercise in vanity. It gives the impression that women are having surgery on their intimate area purely for cosmetic reasons, and this is a myth that the personal health specialist Dr. Shirin Lakhani of Elite Aesthetics wants to break up.
“I’m working hard to stop people using the term ‘designer vagina’ as it’s derogatory and misogynistic,” she says. “It takes away from the wide variety of reasons women can seek treatment. Not to mention it’s also technically incorrect. The correct term for female genitalia is vulva. The vagina is the birth canal,” adds Dr. Shirin.
She explains that the term “vaginal engineering” traditionally referred to surgical procedures performed to alter the appearance of the vulva, but personal health procedures can also help with painful conditions such as vaginal dryness, looseness and incontinence.
Misconceptions about intimacy go so far as to stop women from booking them, even when they have life-limiting symptoms as a result of intimate health problems, as Sarah Jones, 45, explains: “I didn’t understand why anyone could to have familiar revitalization. I assumed it was all about his looks, and I didn’t care about that. This was a misconception. Treatments are about functionality and improving quality of life.”
Dr Shirin, who treated Sarah, explains: “The vast majority of patients I see are seeking treatments for functional issues, but unfortunately the stigma around intimate health, particularly for women, leads to a lot of pain in silence.
“Women come to me for vaginal rejuvenation so that they can live life to the fullest, rather than simply wanting to improve their appearance,” she continues. “For some people, vaginal rejuvenation is about improving their sex life, for others it’s about treating vaginal atrophy, where thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls can occur as your body produces less oestrogen. and for others, it’s about being more comfortable. their own skin.
“I have seen countless lives transformed as a result of these treatments, from women with such severe incontinence that they were almost housebound before seeking treatment, to those who lost their confidence and ability to enjoy intercourse during menopause.”
© GettySarah shared how intimate rejuvenation changed her life after suffering from incontinence for 18 months.
“For a year and a half I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom all the time. On car trips, I had to stop often to use the toilets and if I was on a train, I wanted to know where the toilet was and sit as close to it as possible.
“When I needed the toilet it was urgent and I couldn’t hold it. I’ve also been waking up around 4am every day to go, which disrupts my sleep. It was affecting my life a lot and I had to plan my day when I was going to be able to visit toilets.
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“The inconvenience of feeling like I needed the toilet all the time was really getting me down. It was affecting my sex life as I was constantly uncomfortable.
“Vaginal resuscitation it made a huge difference in my quality of life. The feeling of not having this discomfort all the time is amazing. I had increased urinary control after treatment.
“The first time I really noticed the difference was when I went to London for a work meeting. I live a few hours outside of London so the journey is quite long. When I got to the station I needed the toilet but the queues were too long and I had an appointment to get to. I was confident enough to get out of line, wait for a taxi and travel to where I was going without visiting the bathroom. Before, I would have to ask someone if I could go in front of them, as there is no way I would have held it in a queue that long.”
© GettyThis is not about vanity
Intimate treatments are often perceived as unnecessary, but Dr Shirin is keen to stress that this is not true. “Your vagina is just as much a part of your body as your heart, lungs or brain – all of which need to be taken care of to stay healthy.
“Talking about vaginal treatments should be no different than talking about the treatments on our faces. The reality is that as women age and experience pregnancy, childbirth and hormonal fluctuations, our vaginas change as well. When we take care of the skin and your body, don’t neglect your vagina.
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“If you have something that bothers you so much that it affects your self-esteem, then it’s worth thinking about what treatments are out there that could solve it.”
Dr. Shirin believes that personal treatments that consider luxury are partly due to a lack of availability. “Personal treatments have not been prioritized by the NHS, so many of the procedures available to help women are only available privately, making them seen as luxuries that are not really needed.
© Getty“However, that doesn’t mean it’s a luxury treatment. It’s a very necessary option for those lucky enough to be able to pay for it. The improvement in quality of life reported by women who have undergone treatment is amazing.”
Removing the stigma
Dr. Shirin is passionate about removing the stigma surrounding intimate therapies. “We can start by having open conversations, reminding women that issues like dryness, vaginal relaxation and urinary incontinence are not things to put up with.
“To remove the stigma around vaginal treatments, we need to change the conversation about women’s health in general. A recent report from the The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists showed that six out of ten women struggle with pelvic floor problems and are too embarrassed to ask for help. This is not right – this is something women should be able to talk about.
“We need to make sure that women are heard and that they can talk to professionals about their symptoms and that they can use the right language. The more we talk about vaginal treatments as a normal part of life, the easier it will be to slowly remove the stigma ».
Intimate revitalization treatments: what you need to know
Not just for aesthetics, intimate treatments can help with many issues.
For incontinence: EmpowerRF
EmpowerRF combines radio frequency and electrical muscle stimulation to help those suffering from flaccid stress incontinence. After treatment, you will experience reduced leakage during daily activities such as sneezing or jumping
“The appearance of the vagina can also appear more youthful, with many commenting that their vagina ‘looked like it used to,'” says women’s health expert Dr. Shirin Lakhani.
“There are different elements to the treatment,” explains Sarah, who had EmpowerRF to help with her pelvic floor. “An anatomically shaped applicator goes into the vagina and delivers intravaginal electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to restore weak pelvic floor muscles. You lie on the therapy couch with it in for half an hour. “It’s a strange sensation but not uncomfortable. I did a series of treatments over several weeks,” says Sarah.
Morpheus 8V is also part of EmpowerRF. It uses radio frequency microneedling to improve laxity and helps tighten to treat urinary frequency and urgency. “It’s a more uncomfortable treatment than V-tone, but tolerable, especially as I had numbing cream for the second and third treatments,” says Sarah.
© Kate SharpFor the vagina: Botox
“Botox can be injected into the vagina under local anesthesia to help with vaginosis, a medical condition that causes involuntary vaginal muscle spasm. Botox can also help with vulvar dysplasia, persistent vulvar pain, and pelvic floor problems,” she says. Dr. Shirin.
For dryness: Hyaluronic acid filler
“Hyaluronic acid, contained in the filler and found naturally in the body, can rejuvenate the vaginal tissue by increasing the thickness of the vaginal walls, which can improve sexual function and dryness,” says Dr. Shirin.
© GettyFor total rejuvenation: Ultra Femme 360
“Ultra Femme 360 can also be used to provide complete vaginal rejuvenation both internally and externally, including labia reshaping and vaginal tightening,” says Dr. Shirin.
“It is a fast and effective treatment for vaginal relaxation, tissue quality and incontinence. By stimulating collagen growth and blood vessels and nerves we can effectively treat the symptoms that often cause us to have less libido than we should.
“My clients tell me that Ultra Femme has restored their confidence. One woman, who suffered from vaginal relaxation after four vaginal deliveries and also had problems with her pelvic floor, said she will tell all the ladies she knows to they are doing it.
“Some of these treatments may sound painful, but you’ll either be given a local anesthetic to numb the area or an anesthetic will be injected so you won’t feel it.
“Some find the familiarity of the procedure a bit intimidating. If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to discuss them with your doctor. There is no need for embarrassment or feelings of anxiety.”
“Don’t feel embarrassed or panic or worry about anything because it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s your body, it’s your life. This procedure could make your life so much better.”
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